Get ahead of the game with the right agent!

Whatever the aim of your game is - investing to flip, buying for the first time, purchasing a second home, downsizing or upsizing, the best thing that you can do in this current climate is to be ahead of the other players.

Presently in Los Angeles we are experiencing a low inventory of houses on the market and a large group of buyers who are anxious to get their hands on a set of keys and their feet in the front door.  There are so many ways to keep yourself informed and educated on what is happening with the market but let's focus on one aspect of getting a "deal" which would be finding pocket listings.

A good agent knows who, how and where to find the golden egg and how long it will take!

A pocket listing is a property that an agent has ready to go and will be listing in the near future.  Your goal is to get wind of these and the best way is to have a fabulous agent who can get you this info.  It is not always easy - as you may or may not know there are many shady agents who want to keep their pocket listings quiet because they want to double end every deal that they get.  Double ending is when an agent gets the listing and they also come in with the buyer - resulting in not only making their 3% commission on the listing side but the other 3% on the buyers side.  Greed can cause some agents to keep their up coming listings a secret and clearly this kind of agent is not serving their client well.

An excellent listing agent's job is to sell any property for the highest and best price for their clients benefit whether or not they are bringing in the buyer. 

I currently work mostly with buyers and find myself making relationships with realtors all over Los Angeles.  I network, go to events, have lunches and even play softball with agents who may have just the right inside scoop to get one of my clients the perfect deal.  It is my job to be in the know and to make magic happen for my clients. 

As a buyer it is your job to find the right agent!  Why spend time reinventing the wheel when you can have a professional who bases their entire career on networking with others who have listings, properties, or money to make a deal happen.

If you want the opportunity to find information on a listing before it comes on the market make sure you call the right agent with the right connections.  If you are thinking of listing your home and want to sell fast - once again find the right agent.  The right agent makes it their job to know the market, know their area, know buyers and know sellers.  Forget the fancy schmancy realtors who know how to wear a suit and smile in a photo and find the agent who knows the right people.